Second grader suspended repeatedly for smelling bad

A Tennessee second grader has missed 24 days of school because school officials say she has an odor.

The Washington County school system has suspended the eight-year-old several times over the last few months. Suspension documents say the girl hadn't bathed for the last two days, sleeps in her clothes, and couldn't remember the last time she took a bath or brushed her teeth.

The little girl's mom says her daughter does take baths and takes care of herself.

"She's been to the doctor and it's not a medical problem," said the mother, Krystal Hensley. "They send her home at least once a month, I mean, you go to school to learn, not to be sent home."

School officials say the girl's smell is so bad that other students and teachers say they can't focus. The school has warned since October if corrective measures aren't taken, the suspensions will continue.

The director of schools wouldn't talk about the specific student, but said a child is only sent home in rare and extreme situations.

The Department of Children's Services says there is no open case on the matter.